From another thread:
Q: Did Rambow ever produce cues for any company other than Brunswick, Keefe & Hamer, and himself?
A:
A:
Again - thanks very much for your insight. I will be addressing Herman's time away from Brunswick (highlighted in blue)
Q: Did Rambow ever produce cues for any company other than Brunswick, Keefe & Hamer, and himself?
A:
If I recall correctly, Herman Rambow worked for Brunswick from 1915 to 1950. During that time, there was one period in which Rambow left Brunswick, created the Hub cue, and was persuaded to return and again work for Brunswick. I don't recall how long that departure was, and I don't know if he simply worked by himself during that time, or worked at another shop. Of course after 1950 Rambow made cues under his own name until his death in 1967. If there was any time that he worked with/for someone else, it would have been during that "sabbatical" from Brunswick before he retired from there and went out on his own. There was also a mentoring relationship between Rambow and Ray Schuler, but I know of no actual cue collaborations that came out of that relationship.
A:
Herman Rambow left Brunswick and started the Superior Cue Mfg. and Billiard Supply Company in 1921, because he felt that Brunswick was not giving him credit for his idea's. Now between the years of 1921 and 1926 Herman worked on his own, since he left Brunswick and since Brunswick challenged his design of the Hub Cue, Herman had little choice but to sell cues and merchandise either to private individuals or to Brunswick's competition.
In 1925 the dispute between Brunswick and Rambow ended when Herman was awarded a Patent from the US Patent Office (Patent Number 1,527,748), shortly after this also in 1925, Herman signed his Patent Rights over to Brunswick for unknown reason's. Then in 1927 Herman was back working for Brunswick as the Head Foreman for all cue operations, until his retirement in 1950.
During the the Six Year's that Herman worked on his own from 1921 until 1927 documentation of his activities are very scarce, however, cues that were his trade mark appear, made in the same fashion and using the same construction techniques that Herman was known for. One cue style in particular shows up with the name imprints / manufacturing marks of J.E. Came of Boston, and O.L. Briggs Company and that is the Rambow Hub cue. It is certainly possible that these companies purchased these cues from Herman unmarked and that they added their name stamps to them, or it is also possible that they made these cues themselves, however, when you consider that Patent thief was as much a crime then as it is now I would suspect that Herman was involved in some manner. In addition all the Hub Cues I have seen with the Name stamps of other companies appear to have been made during the 1920's, this is due to the location of the weight stamp, and the materials used for joining and building these cues.
Hopefully more information will come to light in the future, and this is the only way to close the book on this conversation.
JIMO
Again - thanks very much for your insight. I will be addressing Herman's time away from Brunswick (highlighted in blue)